82_930

Hi, I know that this post will no doubt make many here on this forum a 'lil bit nauseous, but I'll ask it anyway.

I have an '06 C4 and a new set of tires will be a necessity in the future. I do not track the car and I live in NY so we do get our fair share of weather. The car is driven partially during the week, say 2 to 3 days.

I know that all season tires generally are not particularly good in the winter or the summer and a set of summer performance tires are totally crap in the cold.

With this in mind, I was just wondering if a set of winter performance tires would work all year around? Will driving them in summer conditions/temps just make them wear out really quick?

Thanks

Fahrer

They definitely wear more quickly and have a lower speed rating but this is generally not an issue for US highways.

Dadio

Is this a trick question ? Winter tires offer very little grip in temps above 40 degs for the same reason summer tires offer very little grip at temps below 40, tread compound. Might not be noticable on a Prius though.

deverest

I run winter tires on 3 of my four cars. They are the best, I have a rear wheel drive BMW that does better on snowy hills than 4wd SUVs w all season tires.... If you leave winter tires on your car all year round, you will wear them out quickly, not to mention you will give up some of the handing characteristics of your C4.

I would look for a set of used rims and swap out your summer tires when the temp drops below 45 F in the autumn, and put them back on in the spring.

997C2

I would leave the winter tires on only if they will not sustain another winter. You can just drive them into the ground and then move back to summer tires. As noted, winter tires don't last long at higher temps.

jumper5836

I 've used winter tires in summer at the track. They were hard as hell like hockey pucks and didn't wear at all. They sucked and didn't provide good grip but they also were a lot of fun since it allowed the car to break loose a lot more easily and they were very noisy and let you know when they are at the limit.

My Cayenne Turbo runs winter tires all year round. I get 2 good winters and 3 summer seasons out of a set (avg 25k km/year). The 2nd winter they are a bit degraded but still as good as a all-season. I've also did a track day with them on the Cayenne.

lic265

Winter tires will be loud compared to summer, i have had several sets for my various SUV's and i just swap tires/rims seasonally.

P0rsch3F113

Don't do it. Winter tires (running above 7 degrees C) will suck! Noisy. Will wear out prematurely. Performance will take a hit.

stefang

I'm very happy at this point with Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Positions. These are NOT your father's all seasons!

stefang

OTOH, winter tires in the summer could be fun because you'll be sliding the car all over the place

zanwar

Winters will work year round but the car won't be at it's best in the Summer, which is when you really want to get the most out of it. It's a false economy.

pnwc4s

I know it's not the popular belief, but I actually think the 911 is awesome on all-season tires.

Everyone wants the super-sticky summer rubber these days, but how often are you really driving hard enough on the street to tell the difference? And actually the lower grip level of all-season just means a bit more tail-out fun, which is not a bad thing.

Bruce In Philly

Why would you? I did until July.... I was trying to burn them up because I hated those things. I drove my Boxster S all year 'round (I have an '09 C2S now) for 12 years and tried a few brands of snows. The last and worst were the Porsche-recommended Pirellis. I was so angry with their poor performance I called Porsche to complain about their recommendations - they appologized - kinda funy actually.

Anyhoo.... I drove those Pirellis until July and they were mushy. Can you say "throttle steer"? I thought the softer compound (so everyone says that winter compounds are softer) would be really grippy in the heat, with the cost being faster wear. Not so! They were awful.

The reasons I hated the Pirellis were that they were stupidly noisy (they sang Italian opera even at low speeds), I got stuck in 1 inch of snow in my near flat driveway, and they lost their stickyness on dry asphalt when they were at only 50% wear. Oh and they didn't last very long at all.

By the way, these were not "all season" tires, but snow tires.

Thanx
Bruce in Philly

John in Bismarck

Our 08 Cayenne came with Bridgestone Blizzaks when we bought it two years ago. I left them on all last summer and they didn't wear down much at all. They were noisy, but otherwise not much different than the Toyo all terrain tires I have on it now. I think when Blizzaks wear down over half (and these were definitely over half worn) they are really all season tires. Nevertheless, I'm glad to be rid of them now.

I have Michelin Pilot Sports on our 911 now, but plan to go with all season tires next, because they are more suited to our climate here in North Dakota.

Macster

I think it is a wonderful idea to drive in the summer on winter tires.

And when you drive your car with its winter tires to the beach for some fun in the sun and sand be sure to wear your ice skates instead of sandals.